quick nutrition questions

[JarrardKO]

Okay so I understand that losing body fat means losing some lean body mass (muscle) as well, so is it a good idea simply to eat a lot of protein to maintain as much muscle as I can during dieting?

Secondly - with the diet-muscle loss issue in mind - lets say (for example) that I wanted to be ripped at maybe 220lbs, at what weight would I have to bulk up to first and then diet from (500 calorie deficit) in order to reach a lean 220lbs with low body fat %.

[g3.SneakS]

How tall are you?

[JarrardKO]

Whoops.

6 foot 0 inches.

[g3.SneakS]

Holy shizznat! If you can pull off 220lbs. with low bodyfat % you would be ripppppppppeeeeeeeeedddddddddd lol! As for the answer to your question it totally depends on what bodyfat % you are when you start your cut. One thing is for damn sure, you're going to have to be a fucking beast lol

Edit: But yeah, I've been wondering the same. I have been eating basically only protein with a few carbs thrown in and a very low fat diet, but I can't seem to lose much weight. I'm eating at a -1,000 calorie deficit and I'm still only losing like 1-2 lbs. per week. I feel like I should be losing more weight, but I'm not... (I eat about 240g of protein every day and I weigh 185lbs.)

[bluedot]

220 with low body fat is nuts... so consider what have in mind as a reasonable goal O_o

Preserving muscle: high weight, low reps with lots of protein. Can expand if necessary, but that's the paradigm.

The other question is "it depends". In the final analysis, the question hinges on the lean:fat ratio you can expect when bulking and then when cutting. This might have you getting up to something like 250 and then cutting. But that's a very extreme thing to do... I'm much more of a fan of the slow and steady method, unless you really want to go into competitive bodybuiling and weight classes matter. Otherwise, why not put on weight a little slower, see how you feel at 200 lbs, how much extra fat you're carrying, and assess from there... see if the trip to 220 is still worth it.

A lean 220 is a thing for a genetic freak or a decade-long pursuit.

[Siddhartha]

185lbs @ 10%bf is super hard for me and i'm 6'0

[g3.SneakS]

Don't wanna hijack this thread, but I think my question is relevant and would be helpful to the OP.

Do you guys think that I should eat a balanced diet with like 90g fat 90g carbs and like 250g protein? Or do you think that ideally I should be eating 250g protein, 90g carbs and 20g fat? Not those exact gram amounts, but you get the picture. Should I increase my fat intake, or is it ideal to keep fat and carb intake at the absolute bare minimum.

The reason I ask is because I'm having a little difficulty losing weight and I'm eating an insane amount under my maintenance. I eat about 1600 cal per day and my maintenance should be around 2600 so...

[Beljone]

What you have to remember is when your calories were up to 2600, you were also burning a lot of that portion off with your work out routine etc. So first, look at anything that you might changed in your routine that might make you burn less calories.

Secondly,
If you're not doing high reps with your excercises (which should let you burn more calories when you work out [bluedot?]), and youre doing low rep lifts coupled with that much 'tein intake, you could still be gaining some muscle weight, which is good, but it's indistinguishable on the scale.

And lastly, what was your carb/fat intake before the cutting phase? Your body may have adjusted to a certain amount

Edit: and #4, double check your diet because you might have foods that you thought didnt have carbs or w/e and they end up having em. A lot of people I know complain they cant lose weight yet I never see them drinking water its always 'gatorade' or something similar that they think is actually good for them.

Edit2: #5 move this thread to PoWeR's thread, damn it.

[InfC.AnatoLiy]

Cut carbs and replace the deficit with higher protein so you can get some gains. Some good gaaaaaains.

500 calorie deficit depends on what your body is used to maintain it's weight. If you're body metabolizes it's weight at 2k calories, cutting down 500 is too steep but if you are naturally stabilizing at 2.5k+ then yea 500 calories is pretty easy to cut.

@sneaks
Losing 1-2 lbs per week is really good man. If you want some more gains then you can cut down to 60/60/220. Buy some ketosis strips and see how your body is metabolizing.

BUT all this is advice fellas. At the end of the day:

[JarrardKO]

Relax guys, the low bf% 220 lbs was an example. But after hearing how bad ass it sounds I just might do it.

jk.

After reading bluedot's post I get the impression that I would have to bulk up ~30 pounds past my goal and then cut with a high protein diet. Is this understanding correct?

[bluedot]

No, not at all. That was just an example... It depends on your bf% at any given time and the fat/lean ratio of the weight to lose. It's not a trivial task to hit a certain weight at a certain % fat, especially not without manipulating water.

[BIG^Dolipp]

My advice, stop counting, fuck that shit, just move and excercise alot and eat untill you dont feel hungry, avoid shitfood and unneccesary fats and youll get fit in a few months.

[Chace]

Originally Posted by InfC.AnatoLiy

BUT all this is advice fellas. At the end of the day:

rofl! I also frequent their channel, always entertaining!

[g3.SneakS]

Originally Posted by Beljone

What you have to remember is when your calories were up to 2600, you were also burning a lot of that portion off with your work out routine etc. So first, look at anything that you might changed in your routine that might make you burn less calories.

Secondly,
If you're not doing high reps with your excercises (which should let you burn more calories when you work out [bluedot?]), and youre doing low rep lifts coupled with that much 'tein intake, you could still be gaining some muscle weight, which is good, but it's indistinguishable on the scale.

And lastly, what was your carb/fat intake before the cutting phase? Your body may have adjusted to a certain amount

Edit: and #4, double check your diet because you might have foods that you thought didnt have carbs or w/e and they end up having em. A lot of people I know complain they cant lose weight yet I never see them drinking water its always 'gatorade' or something similar that they think is actually good for them.

Edit2: #5 move this thread to PoWeR's thread, damn it.

My routine hasn't changed, and my lifts have actually dropped a teeny bit, which makes me think that I haven't gained any muscle. My carbs and fats were rather high before my cut. I was eating a like 3,500 calories or so and my protein intake was the same with the extra cals being made up of carbs and fats. I basically removed almost completely carbs and fats from my diet to get to my current diet.

[moSaic-]

simple & obvious answer: yes, maintaining high levels of protein will help mitigate muscle loss during cutting cycles. Big surprise. Next time google nutrition nub.